Meeting you was Fate
by LordKronosBG
Summary: After a failed assassination attempt on Princess Lucy Heartfilia's life she is given a personal bodyguard to insure her safety. But to her surprise the one that was chosen is a pink haired Mage Knight who prior to the incident nearly killed them both. And he didn't even realise that she was the Princess.
1. Chapter 1 - Princess and Knight

**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoy this story :) I will try to update this and "We're a Team" on a regular basis. **

**Disclaimers: Fairy Tail belongs to Mashima**

**Cover by sawahhh**

**Story and Setting by LordKronosBG**

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Chapter 1 Princess and Knight

Princess Lucy Heartfilia checked her appearance in the mirror. It was seven years since she wore her ball gown. It was a pure white long sleeveless dress with golden markings. The tailor had done a wonderful job. It fit her perfectly as if it was made just now for her. Of all her dresses this one was always her favorite. It was worth the trouble to have it remade.  
-Is everything to your liking Princess?  
-Yes Virgo. You can tell the tailor that I was pleased with it.-Lucy took the small crown that Virgo was holding for her.  
-Your math studies start in several minutes.  
-I know.-she said as she placed the crown on her head-I wont be late.  
She again looked at her reflection. This crown and this gown. She couldn't help but remember the first time she wore them. A faint smile appeared on her face. She then quickly took of the crown and handed it to Virgo.  
-Well I am off.  
-Until the evening Princess-Virgo bowed as Lucy left her room When Lucy entered the hallway she turned right. The room where her math teacher was waiting wasn't far. This lesson was going to be much shorter , because she had the final routine check for the ball that the kingdom was holding next week. It was the first time that their kingdom was holding it , and her father wanted everything to be perfect. For the past month almost every free moment was used memorizing every single detail for the ball , practicing the classic dances and learning the fourteen different dialects of the neighboring kingdoms. She let out a light yawn. With all the preparations she hadn't gotten much sleep the past few days. Thankfully she was going to return to her usual routine soon.  
Lucy passed the stairwell that connected the different floors of the castle. Right before she knocked on a large wooden door , to notify her teacher that she had arrived the noise of something breaking was heard from the lower floor. One of the servants must have dropped something. It wasn't really part of her duties to fix such errors , but she decided to go and quickly see what happened. Her father demanded perfection and as his only child she felt it was her obligation to help in any way possible to that end.  
She headed for the stairwell but before she reached it a man running up collided with her. Lucy fell to the ground with her attacker on top of her. At first she couldn't understand what happened. She opened her eyes when several other footsteps could be heard climbing up , but was only able to see a few strands of pink hair.  
-Ah crap!  
The man who was on top of her got up fast , grabbing one of her arms and pulled her to her feet with ease. Before she could see him clearly , he dragged her into the nearest room and closed the door behind them. It was a small supply room that had barely enough free space inside for the two of them. He placed his free hand on her mouth.  
-Shhh Being this close she could not see more then the mans eyes , but she felt the handle of a sword hitting against her. She immediately thought that he was some sort of invader or assassin. Shaking she began trying to find something to hit him with. More people climbed to their floor.  
-Where did he go?  
-Split up. He couldn't have gone far.  
-We'll teach him a lesson about starting fights inside the castle!  
They could hear the footsteps moving farther away. The man let out a relieved sigh. At that moment Lucy , who had grabbed a bucket , hit him on the head with it. He immediately let her go and she was able to take a step back. Being able to see him now she was shocked to see that he was actually close to her age and wearing a light breastplate. It had a symbol on it that looked like some sort of tail. She had seen several of the Mage Knights , who were serving her father's kingdom , wearing the same. But why would any knight act like he did.  
-What kind of idiot hits someone with a bucket for no reason!-he suddenly yelled while rubbing his head Lucy was shocked. Not only did he kidnap the kingdom's princess , but now he was insulting her? When she was finished with him , the only thing that boy was going to do was cleaning after the horses.  
-Listen here...  
She took a step forward to put additional strength into her words. They heard some sort of mechanism activating when he heavily stomped on the ground.  
-Huh?  
Before they could do anything the floor divided into two and both of them fell down screaming.

They fell down one giant slide. To Lucy it felt like it went on for ever. She was holding on to the Mage Knight until they reached the end. They flew through a hole in the wall. When colliding with the ground Lucy lost her grip on the mage and fell further away. Upon opening her eyes she saw she was face to face with a big rat. She screamed loudly and jumped back. Scared of the sudden noise the rat ran away.  
Lucy looked around her. She had heard of secret escape passages that lead to the dungeons below the castle , but they were all sealed off. This one must have been missed. She then looked at her self. The dress she was wearing was now covered in dust , spider webs and other things she could not identify. Lucy fell to her knees and hit the ground with her fist. The gown looked like it was impossible to be restored. It was her favorite because it was the final gift she got from her mother.  
She then switched her gaze to the Mage Knight. It was his fault they were in this predicament in the first place. The least he could do was apologise. The pink haired knight looked like he was going to throw up.  
-That was terrible...  
He looked around and to Lucy's surprise he just ignored her and started walking forward.  
-Wait a minute! Where do you think you are going?  
The Mage Knights turned towards her and pointed in the direction he was heading.  
-That way.  
-Huh?-Lucy had never heard of such a simple-minded answer-Do you even know where you are?  
-Not really...but it is the only way to go.  
She looked behind her and saw that behind them was a dead end. Lucy felt stupid that she didn't notice this sooner. When she again looked towards the Mage Knight he was already walking forward again.  
-Hey wait! Are you just going to leave me here!?  
-You are free to tag along if you want.  
The nerve of this guy. He was treating her like some sort of annoyance. She didn't really want to follow him , but there wasn't an alternative. She got up and quickly catched up to him. She stayed several feet behind him.  
-Anyway...this is an ancient escape passageway. There are many old traps here to keep intruders away. You can't just walk around casually like that...Are you even listening to me!?  
It seemed like he was completely ignoring her. Angered she started walking faster to get in front of him. Before she could close the distance between them she heard a noise , similar to the one when they fell. Lucy turned to see where it came from and saw a giant axe blade heading for her. She just froze in place. Just before the blade hit her she felt someone pulling her. When she regained her senses Lucy saw she was in the Mage Knight's arms.  
He managed to get to me this quickly? -And you were the one complaining about being careless.  
And now he was scolding her like she was a little kid. Well she deserved it at the moment after that careless mistake. Lucy looked at his face and saw he was smiling. He wasn't scolding her. Just having fun with it. At that moment realise that they were too close to each other and took a step back.  
-S...sorry about this...  
This was the first time she apologised to anyone but her parents. Lucy looked down and saw some blood on the ground behind the Mage Knight. She then looked at him more closely while he was passing her and saw a small wound on his right shoulder.  
-You are hurt.  
-Hm? This? It's nothing. It will heal up in a day or two.  
-It still need to be treated.  
-I'll worry about that when we leave. Just follow me. I'll get you out of here safely.  
Silently she followed after him. He was dodging every single trap on their way , like it was childs play. Not long they reached old metal stairs that were leading top. The first steps were broken , so the Mage Knight gave the princess a lift so that she could reach the first one. Slowly she managed to climb up. The pink haired mage followed her soon. They ended up in another small supply room.  
When they left it Lucy was pleased to see they were at the first floor of the castle. Heavy footsteps could be heard from everywhere. The entire castle was being searched. Most likely everyone noticed that the princess was gone. She couldn't tell how long she was walking with that Mage Knight. It felt like it was a short time but she wouldn't be able to forget it any time soon. A pair of footsteps were heading towards them. Thinking quickly Lucy pushed the Mage Knight inside on of the nearby rooms and closed the door. She remained alone in the hallway.  
She saw that the one coming was the Captain of the palace guard.  
-My lady! We have been looking for you everywhere. Where were you?  
-I fell down a trap door inside the old passageways. Sorry for causing you all trouble-she smiled at him -I thought they were all sealed off years ago. I will deal with this later. For now allow me to escort you to your chambers.  
Lucy followed the captain. After a few steps she looked back. At least he had the brains to stay inside until they were gone. If they saw him with her the entire truth would have come out. And knowing her father there was a high chance that the Mage Knight would have been sentenced to death. After saving her life , covering for him and forgiving him was no problem for her. He had earned that much.

When Natsu couldn't hear their steps anymore the Mage Knight left the room. He went in the opposite direction of them.  
-Just who was this girl. I feel like I've seen her before.  
Who ever she was , it was clear she had some social standing for the captain of the palace guard to be looking for her. Well it didn't matter. He probably wasn't going to see her again anyway. Still it would make a good story at the order house. Natsu stopped in the middle of the corridor and looked in both directions. He had no idea where in the castle he was.

When Lucy reached her room and the captain left , she quietly sat on one of the chairs. She had trouble believing all this happened. It was like some of the stories her mother used to read to her. But this was reality and this was the fairy tales ending. Soon Virgo entered the room.  
-I am glad you are safe Princess.  
With her help she took off the white gown and put on another the maid had prepared. She hated relying on others for dressing , but these dresses were impossible to handle by yourself.  
-Please see if this dress can be restored.  
-I will do my best. But you need to hurry. Lady Beatrice is waiting.  
Lucy was not looking forward to this. Lady Beatrice was highly strict , and even if it was not her fault she was now late for the final routine check. That old woman was going to make her suffer for this. She quietly nodded to Virgo and left her room first.  
It was just as she thought it would be. The sixty year old lady , who looked remarkably well for her age , was scolding her for fifteen minutes about the values of responsibility , self awareness and security. For a second she actually believed that it was her fault that she was late.  
-That is enough wasting time on this incident. But because of that we will have to change the schedule. I need to visit the kitchens to see if everything has arrived for the dinner after the ball.-she pointed to her chest with her cane-You will remain here and practice the four traditional dances by yourself until i return. And don't even consider slacking off. I will know.  
Gracefully the old lady left the ballroom. Lucy knew far too well that even if the thought of slacking off came to her Beatrice would know. It happened twice already. Lucy was considering the possibility that she was a hidden mage. But there was no point in thinking over this. She had to begin her punishment. Lady Beatrice was probably going to stay in that kitchen for several hours forcing the chef to prepare her various sweets. It was going to be a long day , dancing with the fake mannequin. Silently she began with the first and longest dance.  
Everything in the ballroom was already prepared for next week. It was a large round room. Across the room the stage for the musicians was put up , covered by red curtains. On both sides there were round tables with chairs for the noble families that will come. The entire middle area was for dancing. There were four chandeliers each with several lacrima that would light when the sun sets. The ball lasted for fourteen hours after all.  
While observing her surroundings she got distracted by an item on one of the tables and tripped in the mannequins feet. The princess quickly got back on her feet and walked to the table that caught her eye. There shouldn't be anything on them at the moment , yet someone had put a black sphere on one. It was possible one of the servants simply forgot it there , but she felt like she had seen it before. She leaned forward to take a better look at it. The sphere let out some sort of smoke. Lucy tried to hold her breath , but the smoke quickly surrounded her. It seemed like it was following her. Unable to hold it any longer she inhaled some of it and she collapsed on the ground.  
When Lucy woke up she saw that everything around her was on fire. The black smoke made her cough hard. She could barely see anything around her. One of the chandeliers had fallen next to her. It's light lacrima must have started the fire. But why was she on the ground? She couldn't think clearly because of the smoke. Lucy tried to scream for help , but her voice was so weak she barely heard herself. Such a fire should have been noticed long before it could escalate to this. Then she remembered. For additional security the windows were shut in permanently and a new door that could withstand almost everything was build. If that door was closed nobody would have noticed anything. She slowly began to lose consciousness again.  
Just as Lucy was loosing any hope she heard the door of the ballroom opening. The princess tried to call out but she had inhaled too much smoke to be able to say anything. There was no way anyone would be able to find her. Then something she could barely believe happened. A male figure passed through the flames , completely unaffected by them. Maybe it was just a hallucination but it almost looked like that along the way the fire was weakened...eaten by that man. He kneeled next to her and she tried to get a better look at him , but her vision was too blurry to see anything about him. She even barely heard his words.  
-Hey , are you ok? Hang in there.  
At that moment she completely lost consciousness. But Lucy could feel that she was safe.

When the princess woke up she was in her bed. She wasn't sure just how long she was asleep but it was night. The only light in the room were a few candles. Virgo was there folding some clothes. When the maid saw the princess was awake she went to her.  
-Are you feeling alright princess?  
-Yes...i am just tired. The fire?  
-It was completely extinguished before it could spread.  
-Good. And the one who saved me?  
-You were alone when the guards found you just outside the ballroom. Who ever rescued you must have left.  
-I see.  
-Rest now princess.  
-I will.  
Before sleep caught her again she wondered who was that man who rescued her. Her memory of the incident was vague right now , but that man had powerful magic.

King Jude Heartfilia was sitting at his desk. There was a large stack of papers before him and he was placing the royal seal on them. The door to his chambers opened and Prime Minister Jose Porla entered.  
-I have received news from the other kingdoms. Everyone agreed to postpone the ball until everything is repaired.-the king just nodded in approval-And on the other matter. I believe that this was no incident. It was an attempt on the life of princess Lucy.  
King Jude stopped his work and looked at Jose.  
-Do you have any leads towards who the culprit is?  
-Unfortunately no My Lord. But he has to be someone inside the castle. For the sake of the princesses safety i recommend that for the time being we assign someone as her personal bodyguard.  
The King resumed his work.  
-Handle it. I am too busy to take care of something like this.  
-Of course Sire.-Jose bowed-I believe i know of the perfect person to undertake this task.  
A mischievous smile could be seem on the Prime Ministers face , but the King did not notice it.

The next day Lucy was waiting in the throne room. Even though she was the princess she rarely entered this room. Right now there were only two guards in front of the door and her. But when her father was there it was always crowded. She took a look at the two thrones when the Prime Minister entered.  
-A pleasure to see you are alright princess.-he bowed -I have a busy schedule Jose. Please tell me why you summoned me here.  
-Always right to the point. Just like your mother.-Lucy never could understand why , but she hated when he spoke of her mother.-Very well them. Please enter-he turned to the door.  
The door opened again and Lucy could barely believe when she saw that pink haired Mage Knight from yesterday entered. He seemed just as surprised as she was.  
-Princess Lucy Hearfilia.  
Princess!? -the Mage Knight was shocked -Allow me to introduce to you sir Natsu of the Fairy Order. Your personal bodyguard.  
-What!?-the two of them said at once.


	2. Chapter 2 - First Day

**Author's Note: Here it is :) Chapter 2. Next update will be my other story "We're a Team".**

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Chapter 2 First Day Back at the order house Natsu was packing his luggage. Erza and Grey were there helping him. He couldn't believe what was happening. That weird girl from yesterday was actually the princess. And for some reason he was to be her personal bodyguard. Which meant he had to leave his room inside the order house.  
-To think you are rising in the ranks before me. How did you ever manage to do this Flame Brain?  
-Like I have any idea. That creepy Prime Minister decided it on his own.  
-When he summoned for you I was sure it was because of the trouble you caused at the castle yesterday.-Natsu immediately turned towards him -You are as much to blame for that as me!  
-Ou? You want to settle things for good this time?  
The two were preparing to begin a fight when Erza turned towards them. Her glare made them freeze in place. They took a few steps back , silently agreeing to settle it another time.  
-Anyway.-Erza spoke-This is really important Natsu. It has been a long time since anyone in the Fairy Order has gotten a post in the castle. And not even Laxus began as a royal bodyguard. You must show everyone the qualities of our order.  
-That's right! Now I have the same position as Laxus. I will definitely beat him now!  
With one strong smack on the head she nearly knocked Natsu out.  
-Take this more seriously!  
When they finished packing Natsu took his two bags and headed for the exit. He passed through the main hall where everyone in the order gave their farewells. Some of them sounded like they were sending him to the gallows.  
- I will be back you know.  
It was understandable that some of them were thinking that he wouldn't return. After all Laxus and his group didn't visit the order house even once after they were appointed as the Kings personal bodyguards. But he wasn't like the Master's grandson. After his first post as a guard in the castle Laxus began to distance himself from the Fairy Order and when his final promotion was announced he cut all ties with them. Even someone from the order saw him , the Lightning Mage Knight would ignore him. When he exited the guild house he turned back to look at it one final time. Grey and Erza were outside giving him one final wave. There was no way he would end up like Laxus. He had sworn never to abandon the Fairy Order.  
Natsu was walking inside the castle reading a piece of paper , while carrying his bags. The castle was way too big for him , and these instructions the Prime Minister gave him were not helping at all. He could barely see his writing. How could anyone write such small letters? As he was walking he bumped into someone. He took a look at who it was and saw the captain of the guard.  
-That insignia. The Fairy Order? What business do you have in the castle Mage Knight?  
-I am looking for my room and..  
-Ah yes. I heard that the princess was going to have a Mage Knight as her bodyguard. I just never imagined it would be someone from your order. But you are very far off. Your room is in the other half of the castle , right next to the one of the princess. Just take this stairway up and walk south.  
Following the captains directions he soon found his room. Surprised he saw the princess and a maid waiting in front of it. The king's daughter was clearly annoyed , while the maid was expressionless. He walked over.  
-Finally you are here! Do you have any idea how late you are?  
-Just why are you waiting anyway?  
-By the king's decision any noble who is believed to be threatened must be escorted by the guard at all times.-she seemed annoyed that she had to explain it-It wouldn't look good if his own daughter was breaking this rule.  
So he had to follow her around everywhere? This was a very troublesome job.  
-No more wasting time. I am late as it is.-she started walking but stopped when she noticed the Mage Knight was not following her-Are you waiting for an invitation or something.  
-But my stuff...  
Lucy sighed.  
-Virgo please.  
-Already on it Princess.  
Before Natsu could see it the maid next to him had taken his bags. How did she do it without him even understanding it? The next thing he noticed was her handing him a very large stack of papers.  
-What is this?  
-The princesses schedule. You need to know it by heart in two hours.  
He took the huge stack of papers. In shock he saw that the writing on it was only a bit larger to the writing of the Prime Minister. And i was written on both sides of every paper. Before he could say anything he heard Lucy's voice behind him.  
-What is taking you so long? I told you I am already late as it is.  
Silently Natsu followed her as he read the huge schedule.  
What kind of weirdo would do all of this willingly... To be honest he even had trouble following what was done each day. Never in his entire life had he followed any kind of schedule. It took him several days to remember the entire initiation ritual of the Fairy Order , but this was times larger. And he had two hours to learn it all? Why did he have to know it in that time anyway? It made no sense to him. He was so caught up in his thought he failed to notice the princess had stopped. He bumped into her , knocking her on the ground. The papers with the schedule flew all around.  
-Can you watch where you are going!-she yelled at him -Don't just stop all of a sudden while I am reading!-he yelled back Immediately he understood two things. One-he was actually really reading something that big. Since the guild rulebook Erza made him read , he had never even looked at something so large again. And second which made him worry even more. He just yelled at the princess. If this cost him the position Erza was definetely going to kill him.  
-Now listen...  
She was interrupted when the door they were standing before opened. An elderly man with a short beard looked at them.  
-Something wrong princess Heartfilia?  
Realising she was still on the floor and way too close to her bodyguard she immediately got up.  
-Of course not.  
She quickly restored her posture and went inside while giving a light nod to Natsu to follow her. He quickly gathered the scattered pieces of paper and also entered the room. It was a large oval room with two desks ,a large blackboard on the wall opposite the desks and many books on bookshelves all around. Natsu knew one person who would probably feel in heaven in this place.  
The princess looked at the two desks with a questioned look. The elderly man , sensing her question answered immediately.  
-When we heard that you would be receiving a bodyguard an extra desk was arranged to be placed in each room. Some lessons last for several hours. It would not be humane to make him stand up for that long.  
Lessons? Several hours!? Nobody told him about something like this. Erza's intense educational course was brutal but at least it was short...But from what he had looked from the schedule things like this were happening every day. This was going to be torture! When the princess took her seat at one of the desks he silently took the other one.  
-I believe that your bodyguard would be of some assistance for this history class.  
Please...Just leave me out of it... -he thought.  
-Him? How so?  
-This lesson is about the Mage Knights.-he turned to Natsu-As you may know Princess the Mage Knights are not liked by Mages and Knights alike. Do you know why sir knight?  
-They think we are half assed or something like that.  
-A rather crude way of saying it. The pure knights believe that using magic is cowardly and a direct violation of their code of honor. Some even say that Mage Knights should not have any rights to titles like they do now. While mages say that relying on weapons to use magic lowers the power level greatly. Also considering the past wars of knights against mages and the scars both sides still have , being in the middle is very hard.  
-But Mage Knight orders have saved the kingdoms several times.  
The princess noticed some anger in his voice. This must not be a pleasant subject for a Mage Knight. Even she had heard of the quarrels between the kingdoms knights and the three Mage Knight orders. Some of them had escalated to full out fights.  
-Yes. This is one of the main reasons Mage Knight orders continue to exist. Other ones being that unlike mage guilds , Orders are under the direct command of the King. And the existence of this middle class has balanced the two sides. For over three generations there has not been a full fledged war. Now to move on to the first order that was founded around the end of the last war...  
Natsu decided to ignore what the elderly man was saying. He was slandering orders like most people but history itself was doing it enough. Neither him , not anyone from the outside knew how orders were. If they did Natsu was sure everything would be different. He needed something to distract himself and decided to try and put the schedule back. It was preferable to the alternative.  
Back in Natsu's new room Virgo was busy unpacking his bags. She placed a white scarf that somewhat looked like it was made of scales into the wardrobe. She started with it as it seemed to be the only clothing properly folded. At that moment a thought crossed her mind.  
-Maybe I should have stapled them together.  
After a long two hour lecture the Princess and her bodyguard left the room.  
-What is next?-she asked him -How should I know?  
-That is part of your job. Didn't Virgo tell you this?  
So that is what she meant by You have two hours . Who would understand it from this!?  
-It is the reason she gave you my schedule...-she remembered the papers got scattered-You weren't able to put them back together even though you had this much time!?  
-How come you don't know it anyway...aren't you doing the same every day?  
-With the commotion around the preparation for the ball my schedule got changed every day...-why was she explaining herself to him anyway?-Just find what is next!  
-How am I supposed to find it? This thing is huge!-he handed her the pile of papers.  
The Princess smirked.  
-That shows how uneducated you are. It will be childs play for me. Follow me.  
She led him inside one of the nearby rooms and instructed him to place the papers on a table in the middle.  
-I will be done in a second.  
After half an hour she was still looking at the schedule without being able to figure out even one page for the day. After all that bragging ... she failed. This was going return to haunt her later. Her bodyguard was grinning. She could bet that he was going to laugh at her any moment.  
-This...-she tried to sound confident-Is a bit harder then i thought.  
-Mhm.  
For a second he couldn't hold back his laughter. She let it slide. It was her fault for forgetting one of the primary rules of being a leader - never be too overconfident. She reached for one of the papers and looked at it. The princess was about to give up and just go ask Virgo. Then a second laugh came out of her bodyguard. That idiot was pushing it too far so she smacked him on the head.  
-This is your fault anyway. I don't have to fix it for you!  
He actually forced her to use violence. Something a princess should never do.  
-I found it! The next thing on your schedule.  
This made her freeze. He actually found it? When she failed. She tried to stop her hand from trembling when she took the piece of paper he handed her. Slowly she read it.  
-What kind of person eats lunch at this hour!?  
-I do. Plus I am kinda hungry.  
She heard his stomach growing. How did this person become a knight in the first place? She let out a quiet sigh and headed for the exit.  
-Let's just ask Virgo...  
They found Virgo just exiting Natsu's room.  
-Princess.-the maid bowed -Virgo I have some trouble. That guy dropped the schedule and now I don't know what is next.  
-Figuring this out should be easy for someone of your stature Princess.  
Lucy could see with the corner of her eye that there was a large grin on her bodyguard's face. It really did return to haunt her.  
-Anyway just tell me.  
-Very well. Right now you should be having light lunch with the Master of the Royal Knights to discuss changes to the security.  
The princess could not believe her ears. In the end Natsu was right and that really was the next thing on her schedule. Her self confidence took a huge hit at that moment.  
-Thank you Virgo...  
Silently she walked away. Before Natsu could follow her Virgo got in front of him. He couldn't even see when this happened. Just how fast was she really?  
-Please hand me the schedule. I will put it in order and return it to you once the lunch is over.  
-Are you sure? You must be very busy..  
-It is my duty-she took the pile of papers from Natsu-Also.-she handed him a key-These are for your room.  
-Thank you.  
When he caught up to the princess she stopped and raised one finger.  
-Not a single word.  
The thought had come to him , but even he knew not to press this subject any further. The Mage Knight just quietly nodded.  
-Since when do princess's handle such matters?  
-The Prime Minister asked me to do this since he was busy. It is a bit odd I know. But I could have sworn it was going to be tomorrow.  
After a short walk they reached a large terrace. It had a good view of the city below the castle. There was one table and two chairs. The food on the table as Natsu feared was scarce. And only two chairs. At that moment the Mage Knight sadly realised. He wasn't going to eat anything right now. Then he saw the one Lucy was going to meet. Of course. This guy was the new Master of the Royal Knights. He stared at the man. Not noticing her bodyguard's reaction Lucy greeted him.  
-I am sorry I am late sir Siegrain. Congratulations on your promotion.  
-Thank you princess.-the blue haired mage bowed.  
He was wearing his full armor. It was his order's tradition to be completely formal when meeting with someone of the royal family. She never really liked that tradition of theirs. A simple tunic with the order's symbol , like the one her bodyguard was wearing , was more the enough in her opinion. Also considering it was the middle of summer. But the knight didn't look like he was hot in that armor at all.  
-There was a small mishap with my schedule , bit I believe we have enough time.-Lucy said as she took one of the seats.  
-Of course. Such mishaps are to be expected , given the company that was forced upon you.-he glared at Natsu as he sat as well.  
-Are you picking a fight bastard!?  
The princess nearly jumped when her bodyguard suddenly yelled at Siegrain. What he said indeed was out of place , but his reaction seemed a bit extreme.  
-A true knight would never lower himself to except such a challenge. Especially before a member of the royal family. Show respect to the princess!  
Lucy had seen Siegrain several times before but this was the first time she saw him almost lose his temper. Even if it was for a second , he almost drew his sword. She knew that the Royal Knights were the ones to most often get in conflicts with the Mage Knights. And Siegrain was always appealing to her father to disband the orders. But she never suspected that they were so much at odds that after just one minute they would be at each others throats. If Lucy was not there , a fight would have started already. At least Natsu seemed to back down. But his right fist remained clenched. She let out a cough to get the knights attention.  
-We should get started.  
-Of course. Originally I was not thinking about changing much , but after that incident I believe we should increase security heavily.  
-What do you have in mind?  
-First I would like to increase the man under the captain's command. I already prepared a list of thirty dependable man who were levied and trained well during the incident 17 years ago.  
All the kingdoms were on the brink of war when a mysterious mage conquered one of the neighboring kingdoms. Luckely the conflict was avoided at that time.  
-I see no problem with this.  
The captain had mentioned about needing more man to properly patrol the castle grounds a few days ago anyway.  
-I also was not pleased from the start with the way the security at the ball was going to be handled.  
-What do you mean?  
-The inner guard was going to be made out of mostly of the two Mage Knight orders.  
-I don't see any problem with this. Both orders have been loyal...  
-Princess!-he interupted her-Most likely the one who assaulted you used magic. I do not think it is safe to have any Mage Knight even near you. I recommend banning the Mage Knights from entering the castle until the culprit has been found. My order will gladly replace those who were to be inside.-before she could say anything he continued-Also. To all the guests who are known to be mages there should be an escort of at least two veteran knights should they try something.  
-I think you are overreacting here...  
-Over the past years magicians have always been at the core of every major disturbance! Every single magic user must be treated with suspicion.  
-Enough!  
He realised he made a big mistake. Siegrain forgot that her mother was a mage herself.  
-Forgive my poor choice of words...  
-I will not ban the Mage Knights from the castle! Nor humiliate our guests by treating them like common thiefs.  
-At the very least. Allow me to replace this boy with someone from my order. A seasoned knight would make a much better bodyguard.  
She looked at Natsu. He looked like he was going to jump onto Siegrain any second. What the knight said did make sence. One from his order would be able to do a much better job then him...maybe. But for some reason she didn't like this idea at all. Also some old knight watching over her was definitely going to make her feel uncomfortable. She turned back to Siegrain.  
-I appreciate the offer. But for the time being I will not be replacing my bodyguard.  
At least Natsu seemed to calm down a little. The talk did not continue much longer. In the end the two reached a compromise. Twenty of his order were going to increase the security inside the ball room. Other then that no other changes were made. Siegrain got up.  
-I will prepare the arrangements for the captains man. If you would please excuse me.  
He bowed and left. Sigrain exchanged an angry glare with Natsu as they passed each other. Thankfully they didn't do anything else. Outside Siegrain clenched his fist. It was a mistake on his part to be so aggressive with the young princess.  
Lucy let out a sigh. She didn't think it would be so troublesome. Something had to be done about that feud before it has a chance to escalate further. She made a mental note to mention this to Jose. The princess got up and looked at her bodyguard. He was now speaking with Virgo , who was handling him the schedule. Her maid had done it many times before but again Lucy was impressed how fast she appeared without her even noticing. It hadn't been even two minutes since Siegrain left. The schedule now had two hard covers which made it look like a book. Why didn't she just make it like this from the beginning -Lucy thought a bit annoyed. It could have saved her from that embarassing moment when she failed to put it back together. Virgo bowed lightly and turned to the princes.  
-Should I postpone our ann...  
The princess quickly went to Virgo and put her hand over her mouth to stop her from speaking.  
-Not in front of him...and yes for now-she whispered -As you wish.-Virgo bowed and left them -So.-the princess turned towards to Natsu-What is next?  
-Real lunch!  
The way he said it made it look like it was the biggest thing that ever happened to him. He reminded her of a little kid at that moment. Somehow her annoyance over the conversation with Sigrain disappeared. Also Lucy hated to admit it but she was starving. Light lunch? It was more like no lunch. There wasn't an opportunity to eat anything while she was talking with the knight. Most likely the servants were going to help themself to these snacks later.  
-Lead on.  
-Great!-he nearly jumped but stopped and turned around.-Where are we supposed to eat?  
-The dining hall of course...  
-Where's that?  
-Is there any place in the castle you know?  
The Mage Knight just shook his head. Lucy thought that he probably wouldn't even be able to find his own room if it was asked. She realized that for him to do his job she was going to have to show him everything in the castle. And from the impression she got from him until now it was going to be troublesome. She let out a sigh. How many times was it today?  
-I wonder if it is too late to reconsider sir Siegrain's offer for a swap...  
-Swap..Wait you don't mean..  
Lucy was already walking towards the dining hall. She smiled to herself. Knowing what might happen he was at least going to be serious about learning the castle grounds. As a princess it would have been bad if she couldn't manipulate her subjects. Well it probably wouldn't work on him a second time as she really didn't want to take Siegrain's offer , but she was going to figure out another way if it was needed. Lucy didn't know at the moment that the only reason this worked was because he was afraid of someones wrath if she actually did replace him with another bodyguard.  
This worry of his vanished when he saw the food in the dining hall. One of the smaller tables was covered in the most delicious food he had seen. It even rivaled a little Mira's cooking for when there was a celebration. And there were two plates on it. Without waiting for an invitation he sat and began eating.  
The princess closed her eyes when her bodyguard nearly jumped towards the table. He was beginning to irritate her. She rubbed her forehead to try and calm down. Did he not know even the simplest thing about courtesy? Well it was her fault for actually expecting him to pull out a chair and wait for her to sit and all that stuff. She already saw he wasn't that type of person. Still a little part of her hoped that he had something from the knights of the old stories. But when she opened her eyes and saw how he was eating that slight hope vanished forever. He was sitting eating like a wild animal. She took an empty tray from a passing servant and hit Natsu over the head with it.  
-Hey! What was that for?-he turned around irritated -Don't you have any table manners?-she nearly yelled -Table manners?-she expected he would ask that -If you are going to be my bodyguard you can't just eat like a pig!  
-What is wrong with the way I eat!?  
It took her a minute to respond. She just said what was wrong with it after all.  
-There will be official events! I can't let you embarrass me by eating like that.  
-Annoying.-he turned back to the food.  
-Don't just ignore me!-she said as she hit him with the tray again.  
Staying behind him she started to teach how he should eat ignoring all his complaints about how useless this was. Lucy wasn't sure just how long she was going to be stuck with him , but it was probably going to be a while. As she said there was no way he was going to embarrass her during a possible official dinner. She gave him a slight smack at every single mistake he made. They were so many that her hand got tired from doing it. When she was satisfied with his eating she finally sat down to eat herself.  
When the servants left two of the girls giggled.  
-I have never seen the princess like that before.  
-Me neither. She is always so serious and diligent. It was fun seeing her act like that.  
-Ok break it up. You still have work to do.  
With a clap the captain of the guard sent them away. It would have been bad if the princess overheard them by accident.  
While they were eating Lucy had checked her schedule. Because of the fire she didn't have anything important to do today. Quickly canceling the few things that could be put of she spend the rest of the day showing Natsu the castle. Halfway she asked herself why she didn't ask someone else to do it , but it wasn't like her to finish a job half done. They finished once she led him back to room.  
-And that's it. I hope you don't forget everything by tomorrow.  
-Just how stupid do you think I am?  
-I wonder.  
She waved goodbye to him and entered her room. He quickly entered his room and jumped on the bad exhausted. He didn't think that it was going to be so troublesome being a guard. And that princess was really weird. Just what was wrong with the way he ate? It was normal at the Fairy Order. And to top it of it was still going to be a while before Happy came back along Wendy. Was he even going to be able to stay with him now? Natsu was going to find a way if it was needed.  
He looked around the room. This was actually the first time he entered it. It wasn't very large , but still bigger then the one he had at the Order house. He felt the extra space was actually useless. He had two wardrobes...why were there two anyway? He got up and opened them both. Virgo had placed in one his upper clothes and in the other his pants.  
-Is every single thing here this weird...  
It was going to be a bother to have to open both of them to change his clothes but he didn't change it. That girl probably had other work to do and still she went to the trouble of placing all his clothes in order. He scanned the contents of both wardrobes seriously until he found what he was looking for. His scarf was amongst his upper clothing safely at the bottom. Relieved he checked the rest of the room. There was a desk where he threw the schedule on , a stand for armor even though he didn't have any full plates like that bastard Sigrain , and another door. Was it some sort of storage room or something?  
Curious he opened it and checked what was on the other side. It was another bedroom. He only saw a huge bed and a paravan from which the princess came out wearing a rather small nightgown. The girl turned to him shocked.  
-What are you doing?  
-There was this door and I wondered where it lead to.  
-Door?  
The princess finally came to her senses and hid back behind the paravan behind which she always got dressed and leaned against her wardrobe. She was blushing. It was going to be a really warm night and Lucy was wearing her lightest nightgown which was really tight , especially around her chest. She cursed herself that she didn't get a new one since this was obviously too small for her anymore. It also didn't cover her entire body. A princess must never be seen in clothes like this if they wished to remain with their dignity as royalty. -Just get out of my room!  
-What is the problem anyway?  
At that moment Virgo entered.  
-Ah Natsu-san you've found the hidden door?  
-Hidden?-he closed it behind him and saw that unless you look really closely it looked like a normal part of the wall. The doorknob was conceiled as a simple decoration. -You knew about this!?-Lucy yelled at Virgo from behind the paravan -Of course. Everyone knows. It is for security reasons after all.  
A way for the bodyguard to enter quickly if there was any trouble in the royalties room. Sounded completely logical. And only she and apparently that bodyguard of hers didn't know about it.  
-Just get him out of here!  
-As you wish.  
Virgo didn't have to do anything as he quietly went back into his room. He couldn't understand why she was so angry. He had seen Erza in her room several times in a nightgown. In the past they even bathed together alongside that bastard Gray. It was not as if she was naked or something.  
-Weirdo.-he mumbled as he lay down to sleep.  
Lucy was now sitting on her bad still slightly blushing.  
-I don't see what the problem is Princess.  
-Don't see!? Just what about this was not...  
-Are you perhaps angry that he did not seem to take any interest in your body?  
Lucy's face was now completely red from embarrassment that was now being converted into anger. Thinking that it might be bad to stay longer Virgo quickly excused herself. A smile was on her face as she left the princess's room. Lucy got up and looked at her reflection in the mirror.  
-Am I really unattractive?  
He really did just stare as if he didn't see anything interesting. She blushed again.  
-Stupid Virgo. Putting such thoughts into my head.  
Angered she went back to bad and soon fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3 - Heavy Sleeper

Chapter 3 - Heavy Sleeper

Natsu was laying in his bed half-asleep. He couldn't understand why , but for some reason he just couldn't get any proper sleep. The Mage Knight would wake up several times , keep flipping in bed and occasionally get up to stretch his muscles. It didn't make any sense. He never had any trouble sleeping and the bed here was much more comfortable and larger then his old one in the order house. But maybe the sudden switch was the reason for this , although he didn't have such problems while occasionally traveling outside the capital. At some point he had thrown his tunic on the ground thinking that it was keeping him awake. He hated that thing , as he felt it was choking him at times , but Erza had insisted on him being as formal as possible. Deep down Natsu knew why he wasn't getting any proper sleep. It was the fact that he really was not going to be able to visit the order house as often as he wanted. This assignment was going to take out more time then the Mage Knight originally thought. Luckily he managed to hear that this was temporary and later he would return to his true home. After a while he managed to fall back into a light slumber.  
At some point Natsu heard that someone was walking around in the room. He brushed it off thinking it was Gray trying to pull a prank on him. The pinkhaired knight was feeling too tired at the moment to deal with him. He was just going to kick his but later like usual. Then Natsu remembered he wasn't at the order house any longer and that was not Gray's smell. It was that strange maid who gave him the schedule..Virgo or something like that. She was probably doing some work and he decided to let her do it in peace while trying to get back to sleeping. If it continued like this for long the Mage Knight was probably going to burn down to bed just to get an excuse to at least get his old one here.

-Natsu-san wake up. - He just grunted and turned to his side , but Virgo was persistent.  
-Natsu-san wake up!  
-What time is it?-he asked while turning towards her still half asleep.

-Sunrise.

-Too soon. -Natsu again turned to his side

The way he was acting reminded Virgo of the princess in her childhood. Every single morning she went through a similar routine. And occasionally she would still do that when she overworked herself. And dealing with this for so long gave her ample experience how to wake someone like that. Quick and rough. Being the princess she could never be too rough with Lucy , but her bodyguard was a different story. She had come with a bucket filled with water to clean the windows of the knight's room which he hadn't had time to do so yesterday , but that could wait. The maid picked up the bucket and quickly emptied it contents over Natsu's head. Coughing he rolled out of the bed.  
-Are you trying to drown me!?  
It almost looked like he had fire spitting out of his mouth. But what surprised her more was how quickly he got full of energy like he wasn't half asleep a second ago.

-Just waking you so that you begin your duties.-she said not revealing even for a second that she was surprised.  
-What duties? I just have to follow her around right?  
-That is just part of it. It is your responsibility to ensure she wakes up on time and performs her obligations.

-Isn't that your job?  
-I have been doing it until now yes. But now the honor is yours.-Natsu seemed like he was going to protest about this not being an honor

-You must understand. A personal bodyguard is a royalties closest aide. The only one whom can be trusted with the deepest secrets and desires.

-You make it sound like I am supposed to be something like her best friend.  
-That is a rather simple , but accurate way of saying it. And in some ways you will be even more then a best friend to her.  
It is also something the princess must realise herself. Natsu stretched his muscles. What was the point of this speech anyway? This was only temporary after all. As soon the threat to the princess was gone he was going to go back to the Fairy Order and they would probably never meet again. And what was that about being her best friend? Well he didn't mind being her friend. She was weird , bossy and at times annoying but still fun to have around as long as she didn't try to educate him with all those useless things like she did yesterday. It was pointless to remember which spoon or fork was for which dish , and in what order to eat. With horror he realised he really did remember everything about that. And Natsu was probably never going to be able to forget no matter how hard he tried.

-Well , since it's my job and all.  
He headed for the secret door leading into the princess's room.  
-Where are you going?  
-To wake her up like you told me.  
Natsu didn't even try to hide his annoyance. That is what she told him to do after all. Virgo continued looking at him without revealing any emotion. He had to admit. She was good at it.

-You can't.  
-Huh?  
At that moment his mind became a complete blank. First telling him what to do and the next second saying he can't do it. Was anything normal in this castle? Seeing that he was confused Virgo spoke.

-It is too early for her to wake.  
-Then why...-she interrupted him

-I woke you earlier because you need to prepare yourself first.-without giving him a chance to speak she continued.-First. You need to decide on a new set of clothes for today. If a servant of royalty , and especially the child of the king , appears in the same outfit for two days it speaks poorly for said person. It is a matter of wealth. This was growing more annoying by the minute for Natsu. Sure he took notice of his appearance , but changing clothes every single day seemed like too much of a bother.

-Second. You need to take a shower. You smell.

He was going to take offence at that comment , but after hearing it it stroke him. She was right.

-And lastly. You need to check what her tasks are for the day.-she pointed at the schedule book.

-Any questions?  
-Only one. Where do I take a shower?  
For a minute Virgo froze. At first the question sounded stupid , but when she tried to answer it hit her. This room was hastily build when the queen passed away and an indoor bathroom was never made. Nor was there a possibility of doing it anymore. And besides the one in the princess's room there wasn't another one on this floor. That was a miscalculation on her part. Natsu was looking at the maid still confused. Did he say something wrong for her to freeze like that? Before being able to say anything Virgo spoke. It was almost like she secretly enjoyed cutting him off like that.

-I suppose it is a bit unusual but you will have to use the princess's bathroom.  
-Hers? Won't she get really angry if I do that?  
-The princess is a hard sleeper and wont notice it at the moment. It is doubtful she will wake up on her own any time soon. I will explain things to her before you have to use it again.  
"We just can't have her personal bodyguard going to another floor just to take a shower. Still it might be..." -her thoughts were interrupted.  
-Well if you say so. Then I'll go ahead and be done with it quickly.

-Of course.-she lightly bowed and turned to leave his room.

When Natsu passed through the secret door he looked towards the princess's bed. He felt really envious at how calmly she was sleeping , while he barely slept at all. Seeing her sleeping face the Mage Knight suddenly felt sleepy again and the though of lying down next to her in that giant comfy looking bed came to mind. He immediately dismissed it. Natsu had no desire to lose his head for doing something so foolish. Hopefully the shower was going to wake him up. He had expected what would be inside her bathroom , but it still shocked him. Being a princess and all there were definitely going to be royal decorations and judging from what he saw from her personality he expected it would most likely be covered in pink. And Natsu was right for the most part. But it was more then he thought.

He expected it would be bigger then it really was. It was just one shower , a sink with a cabinet underneath and a tub. Guess the stories he heard of bathrooms the size of the order house were just that stories. It was not the size that surprised him. It was how it looked. Instead of the bathroom of a grown up princess it looked like that of a little girl. Even the tub , although large enough for a grown up , looking at it for a while resembled some sort of animal. He guessed she cherished her childhood memories too much to let these things go. It wasn't something he could make fun of , considering his own position.

Natsu finished with the shower faster then usual. He never took a long time doing it , but this time he did it as fast as the Mage Knight could. That maid should have explained it now. If by some chance she woke up and saw him there the princess probably wouldn't care about his explanation. And Natsu had to use her soap as he didn't bring one with him. The Mage Knight left the bathroom wearing one of her towels. The lack of sleep was affecting him if he forgot to take these simple things.  
When Natsu returned to his room he quickly got dressed and sat on his bed after taking the schedule. It seems there were only two things the princess had to do today. First , to his great annoyance was math. If things went as he thought they would this would be the time the Mage Knight could catch up on his sleep. After that lunch which would probably become a test for him. But the princess wouldn't receive the pleasure of having to torment him like yesterday. Even if it was a bother , eating like she wanted him to was preferable. And after that over five hours of dancing classes? It was going to be a boring day , but hopefully she would allow him to visit the Fairy Order after that dance class. It was just the second day but the urge to hit something was growing fast. Before leaving the schedule he took a second look at where her classes would be held. It was a bit surprising but he had no trouble in remembering where both of them are located. Even if she did it in an annoying way the princess was actually a very good teacher.

When he passed through the hidden door the first thing Natsu did was return the now dried towel back in place. Then the Mage Knight walked towards the bed and looked at the sleeping princess. She seemed so calm while sleeping that he was tempted not to wake her up at all. The calm expression she had at the moment was wasted on her character in his opinion. Still he had a job to do.

-Hey princess. Waky waky.  
Somehow Natsu expected that that emotionless voice wouldn't work. He gently pushed her shoulder while still telling her to wake up. As it didn't have any effect he began to shake her with increased force and raised his voice a little. But for all his effort her only reaction was to turn to her side and mutter out something he couldn't understand. But it sounded like something a five year old would say. She was definitely different while sleeping. The temptation to let her stay that way grew even more. Natsu cleared his throat. There was also the temptation to wake her up just like Virgo woke him up. Shame he couldn't do that to a princess. But the maid was right. Princess Lucy was a really heavy sleeper that may be able to rival him. Erza technique would work here. He kneeled down and with the entire strength of his voice yelled.  
-Lucy Wake Up!  
It was impossible to match Erza's angry voice for when he overslept for an important event , but it was sufficient. Just like he did so many times the princess fell out of her bed shocked from the sudden scream. These weren't his fondest memories , but he couldn't help but giggle. For once Grey was right. It was funny to watch. But soon worry came to him. It wasn't only because he was suddenly worried about her retaliation. She wasn't getting up. Natsu lay on the bed and looked over the edge. She was laying on the ground wide wide eyes. He guessed it was too much of a sudden shock to her and was still having trouble figuring out what was happening. Suddenly his worry about retaliation vanished. Just a few second laying on that bed and he felt sleepy. Finally Lucy's mind managed to wake up. Somebody woke her up with a yell! She looked up and saw her bodyguard looking at her. Lucy quickly covered whatever skin was revealed when she fell. So it was him. And he called her by her name of all things.

-You...  
She pointed at him but suddenly she forgot what she was planning to say. He actually had fallen asleep on HER bed. Was the poseshe was in that boring...She shaked her head violently. Virgo's words from yesterday apparently still affected her to some degree. That idiot of a bodyguard was going to suffer. She got up and smacked him on the head.  
-Wake up you idiot!  
But there was no reaction. Lucy stood there frozen in place. It wasn't like her punch was weak. Was he simply too dense to feel anything on his head? She tried pushing him several times but it still didn't have any effect.  
-Was this what Virgo meant when she said I am a pain to wake up...  
And after waking her up in such an annoying matter he just had to fall asleep the next moment! Angered she pulled the covers along with her bodyguard on them and he fell on the ground. This woke him up and he looked around confused. When Natsu saw her he remembered what happened. Her bed was a lot more comfortable then the one in his new room and he just couldn't resist falling asleep. The Mage Knight gave her a nervous grin. After she saw it all the things she was going to yell to him about waking her up in such a manner slipped her mind. She turned around fearing that a blush may appear on her face. Damn Virgo.  
-So why did you wake me up anyway?  
-Ou yeah.- Natsu sat on the ground - You need to prepare. You have math class in he looked out the window - In about a hour.  
-I see. So you are in charge of...Math?

The Mage Knight got surprised by the sudden change in her voice. She almost seemed scared. He only watched as she ran into her bathroom with a speed he felt at the moment could rival Jet's. Did she hate math or something?  
Inside the bathroom the princess was running about trying to remember why she entered. Lucy finally remembered. To take a shower. That math teacher was a monster. The princess could still remember the last time she was late for his class. That lecture about responsibility was one of her worst memories. And his angered look. She had nightmares about it for a month. Why did his class had to be the first one in the morning. She had to work hard just to keep herself from yawning. Looking around she noticed there was no soap anywhere and her favorite towel was a bit crumpled. It was odd. Virgo was not the type of person to leave things like that. Well it didn't matter really. She took out a new soap and quickly finished her shower. Upon exiting covered in her bathrobe and drying her hair with a towel she noticed her bodyguard was still in the room sitting on her bed. She blushed heavily and screamed.  
-What are you still doing here!?

-Waiting. What does it look like?  
He really knew how to leave her speechless. It took her mind some time to come up with a reply.  
-You ok?  
-I am going to get dressed you idiot! Go back to your room and wait there!  
She went to him and started pushing him towards the hidden door.  
-Just what is the problem?  
He didn't receive an answer as Lucy shut the door. Leaning against it she took a deep breath. What kind of guy stays there while a girl is going to get changed!? She managed to keep away from her mind Virgo's question from yesterday. It was hard enough that this morning was proving the maid's suspicion. And just why did she care what some lowly idiotic mage knight was thinking in the first place? Unfortunately this slowed her while dressing herself. It was true that she didn't like being helped with it , but she didn't have much time at the moment. She settled for a simpler dress and just placed her hair in a ponytail on the side. Even though she liked how it looked as a princess it was a demand to usually have a sophisticated hairstyle. When she finished she opened the hidden door. It was still beyond her how she couldn't notice it before. It really was hidden well on her side , but now that she knew about it the doorknob was too easy to spot.

-I am ready...Why are you sitting on the ground like a little kid?  
Her bodyguard was sitting on the ground with his leg crossed. No matter how she looked at it he reminded her of a little kid like that. Natsu slowly turned his head towards her.  
-You are one to talk.

-Huh?  
She raised an eyebrow but there was no time to try and understand what he meant by that. It was probably something stupid anyway. They quickly made their way to the room where her class was going to be held. The princess couldn't help but feel proud that he remembered the location. The effort from yesterday was not in vain as she feared it was. When they entered the room she froze in place. The thin middle aged teacher was right in front of her and he had a disapproving look on his face. She feared they might have been late after all.  
-Your hair. Too simple. But I will let it slide this time.-the princess let out a relieved sigh-BUT DO NOT LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN!  
He suddenly pointed at her with a stick.

-Aye sir!

Natsu observed her scared face with amusement. So this is why she acted like that when he mentioned math. That teacher seemed like some sort of monster for sure. He held back his chuckle as he didn't want to accidentally incur that beasts rage on himself. Erza would probably like him. And wait. Did she actually say it like...no. It must have just been his he thought it would happen shortly after the lesson started his eyelids fell closed. Falling asleep might be a huge mistake after what he saw earlier , but he just didn't have the willpower to resist sleeping.

The princess was silently taking notes while her teacher was explaining the current task. It wasn't her favorite subject but if you ignore his sudden outbursts he was pretty good at teaching. Although his sadistic side was too much for her to handle at times. There were many sleepless nights in order to complete the needlessly large homework assignments he would make her do if she did something he disapproved of. But this time there was a weird noise that was distracting her. At first she tried to ignore it , but it didn't stop for a while. Annoyed she took a quick peek to see what was making it. There was no surprise. Her bodyguard had fallen asleep and was snoring. The way he had sat made his snore sound weird and she couldn't recognize it. If this continued any longer the teacher might get angry and there was no way she would allow him to force a punishment on her. They had to share a desk for this class he was close enough for her to push his elbow. He was surprisingly tough to move while sleeping as he didn't budge at all. She tried several times but when she noticed the teacher was turning towards her immediately went back to taking notes. Lucy hoped he didn't see her not paying attention. At least the snoring stopped and the princess continued taking notes. It was strange that the teacher didn't mind her bodyguard was asleep. Not that it mattered much. It was him that was going to get in trouble anyway. She didn't understand why she bothered to stop his snoring in the first place. The next second reminded her why when he began again. The noise was simply just too annoying. She hit him harder and although again it didn't have any effect on him the teacher suddenly turned around his face red with anger.  
-Princess! CONCENTRATE!  
The next second he slammed his fists on her desk scaring Lucy. Even Natsu woke up from the force of the hit. It was a miracle the desk itself was intact.

-But he...  
She pointed to her bodyguard who now got scared as well.  
-Is it the lord knight's responsibility to learn this!? Or yours!?  
-M...mine-she muttered

-EXACTLY! A royalty must learn to ignore such petty distraction. You are already of age and should be able to understand this.

The teacher continued lecturing her on how she should have handled this situation. From the beginning Natsu felt sorry for the princess. This guy was an extreme version of Erza when it concerned these things. And nobody deserved this. He managed to see the princess giving him death glares from time to time. As he thought she was blaming him for this. And the princess would probably get back at him for it. When the teacher ended his lecture it was time to leave.  
-Because of your actions we just wasted the entire class...-his fists were trembling with anger-As punishment you will revise by yourself everything and solve all these equations by the next lesson!  
He leaned towards her and handed her a one hundred page book. After that he hissed.  
-And they better be perfect.  
Not being able to say anything she just nodded. Unlike the history teacher , this one left first. When Natsu looked again towards the princess he saw her giving him a death glare that definitely beat even Erza's. He quickly jumped of his chair and headed for the door.  
-Let's get lunch. It will calm you.

He spoke nervously and added to himself "I hope..." . They walked silently towards the dining hall. Lucy was hugging the book the teacher gave it to her chest. From Natsu's point of view , judging from her look towards him , it was like the princess was imagining the book was him and she was strangling him. He had to find a way to apologise or it just might become a reality. But these thoughts vanished when he saw who was walking towards them. He suddenly jumped forward and yelled.  
-Laxus! Fight me!  
While walking she was trying to figure out the perfect punishment for her bodyguard. All the ideas that vanished when she saw that surprising grin of his were returning now. He was going to suffer for what happened then and now. Ever since she met him there was only trouble. But for the second time all these thoughts disappeared when he jumped in front of her father's bodyguard. Who challenges a person to a fight in the middle of a corridor like that!? And wasn't Laxus part of his order as well?

-Hm?-Laxus stopped and looked at Natsu and then at the princess-Thought I heard someone from gramps bunch was her bodyguard. Didn't think it was you though.-he pushed him out of his way with a finger-You aren't worth my time.

Natsu didn't react when Laxus pushed him away like he was some stray dog. Not worth his time? Weren't they on the same level as the kings bodyguard thought it? The Mage Knight couldn't understand just what had happened to him.

Lucy frowned at Laxus. Even if her bodyguard really acted childishly here , his reaction was too arrogant. This was actually the first time she heard him speak. And his voice was full of arrogance. Even when he looked at them it was like he didn't acknowledge either one. He was definitely an annoying guy. But why did that pinkhaired idiot want to fight with him anyway? At that moment a thought passed through her head. She was using the word idiot to describe him way too often.

The lunch passed by uneventfully. Natsu ate with an annoyed expression , but Lucy was pleased that he was eating like she showed him yesterday. There just might be hope for him yet. And that thought vanished when he slammed the table with his fist. It was probably anger about how Laxus had acted earlier so she let it be this time.

He seemed more like himself when they stopped in front of the room where her dance class would be. Lucy wasn't really sure why they she had it since the ball was postponed for a long time.

-Listen.-she turned to him- Lady Beatrice has a strong character. Try not to do something embarrassing or stupid here please.

Natsu didn't plan on doing anything like that , but he gave her a silent nod. But he didn't understand what she meant by a strong character. This was answered soon. As soon as they entered the old lady almost completely ignored Lucy and swarmed Natsu with various , often improper questions. It was almost like she was hitting on him. Something that bothered him a lot. It seemed the princess was not amused either. After a while Beatrice remembered she had a job to do but didn't go to the princess before giving the Mage Knight a seductive wink. Only Bob , the master of the order Blue Pegasus , made him feel more uncomfortable.

Quietly Natsu walked over to a bunch of mannequins and leaned lightly on one of them. It was hard for him to not laugh when Lucy clumsily started to do some strange dance with one of them. Soon after that came a harsh yell from Beatrice asking her why she was acting like this even though she had done it many times. After a while it seemed that the princess got her rhythm. Most of the time she had her back turned towards him. After the old lady was satisfied she turned on some device. He had seen a similar one in the order house and asked Mirajane once what was it. She said it was a music device that magically stores different music and plays it. He did find it strange the princess was dancing in silence. He remembered the music that was playing. It was used in oldstyle balls. A quiet slow song that he never really liked. After a while of watching her dance he again felt sleepy. Just for a second he let himself lean more on the mannequin , but it couldn't support him and he fell down bringing all of the dummies with him. The princess immediately stopped and giggled. She had a sinister smile on her face. He could tell what she was thinking. That old lady was going to punish him.  
-How can such a ha...strong Mage Knight do such a thing!? - she stood over him with an angered look that soon switched to a puzzled one - Well...I suppose it is a bit boring to just watch a dance. I will be your partner!

Her wicked smile send shivers down his spine while the princess could barely hold back her laughter. Suddenly Beatrice looked like she had an idea.

-You may have to do it anyway. I decided! You are going to dance with the princess!

Lucy froze in place trying to figure out how this became her punishment.

-There is a chance you have to dance with the princess during the ball. You might as well get used to it.  
She grabbed his hand and brought him back to his feet. He had to note she was strong to do that so easily. What was up with the people in this castle? Beatrice then pushed him towards the princess and placed him in the position the mannequin was in.  
-Do you even know this dance?-she asked him not even trying to hide her annoyance

-No...  
-Even better! To know the dance you must be able to teach it. The tradition is for the male to lead , but until you learn it , please follow her example.

There was a fire in the old lady's eyes. She enjoyed her idea too much for her to give up on it and they silently did as she said. Lucy was surprised. The Mage Knight was actually not that bad. But what annoyed her was the fact that he looked bored. Didn't he realise what an honor it was to dance with a princess? Annoyed she speeded up and he seemed to have more trouble following her. Beatrice tried to tell them to slow down , but she was ignored. Natsu treated this as a challenge and worked hard to match her speed. After a while their feet tripped and they fell and to their shock they fell out the large open window they were next to. Instinctively in the air Natsu held the princess above him so that he would take most of the hit when they land. But to his surprise the landing was softer then he thought it would be. The next thing the Mage Knight noticed was the smell from beneath him. He looked around and noticed they had fallen in the stables. Did they fall into a pile of straw? No it was warm...in disgust he understood in what they were lying. Natsu looked at the princess who was clenching onto him. It seemed like she didn't yet realise they had already landed. Slowly she looked to the side and then at him. And saw what had cushioned their fall. It was horse poop. A servant was standing next to the large pile in which they had landed. She immediately jumped away and fell to the ground. Natsu got off it as well and handed her a hand to help her get up. She simply pushed it away and got up on her own.  
-You nearly killed us!

-I..  
-No excuses! Suddenly Lady Beatrice entered the stable and went to the princess hugging her. Neither of them could tell how she got there so fast at her age.

-Thank goodness you are alright.  
-Calm down Lady Beatrice. And you-she turned her gaze to the Mage Knight-As punishment for this...you will clean this stable yourself and you will not stop until it is clean enough for you to be able to eat from the floor. And you'd better succeed or your next meal really will be eaten from the ground! You!-she pointed to a servant inside-You will keep quiet about this and make sure he does the job properly!

-Yes My Lady!-the scared servant answered quickly.  
Along with Beatrice Lucy left the stables.  
-Tough luck pal.  
The servant patted Natsu's shoulder and handed him a pitchfork.

It was evening by the time he finished with his punishment. It would have taken much longer , but thanks to his magic he managed to finish , as the servant said in amazement , in record time. Still his hope to go to the order house were gone. At this allowed him to relieve some stress. He slowly entered the princess's room and looked at her. She was wearing a bathrobe and he could smell she took a bath soon. Guess even she had trouble getting rid of the smell. Virgo was behind her combing Lucy's hair. She probably took several. And now he desperately needed one himself. The maid had plenty of time to tell her he was going to use her bath so he entered without hesitation. -Ten baths and I can still smell it...that idiots punishment was too light!  
-And yet you made sure nobody would understand. Why?  
-Honestly I don't know. I'll go take another shower Virgo.  
-As you wish princess.  
When Lucy got inside the bathroom she started to take off her robe , but stopped when she noticed Natsu was already inside halfnaked. Blushing madly she immediately jumped outside yelling.  
-What are you doing inside!?  
-Taking a shower...Why didn't you knock first?  
-Knock...  
She had trouble understanding what he was saying. It was her bathroom after all...  
-Ou yes princess. I forgot to mention. Sir Natsu will be using your bathroom.  
-Huh?-her maid's words confused her even more

"She actually forgot to say it... "

-There is no bathroom in his room and yours is the only one on this floor. I am sure you understand.  
-Is there any other important information you FORGOT to mention?  
She was going to speak more on the matter of him using HER bathroom as his own , but she would do it tomorrow. He really did smell terrible and needed one badly. Virgo thought a little.  
-Yes.-she casually said  
"There actually was something" -both of them thought

-The maiden voyage will be held tomorrow.  
-What!?-Lucy asked clearly shocked.  
-What is that?-Natsu asked while scratching the back of his head.


End file.
